Two related topics

May Memorial Library, Burlington NC from https://www.alamancelibraries.org/using-the-library/library-locations/

You might find it interesting to read about this particular public library.

Today's session will be about patron privacy topics, followed by challenges to collections topics.

Who?

Kelly Jones

Who? What?

What? Patron Privacy

Readings for Kelly's topic

Read these items and plan to post a consideration about it.

from https://bookriot.com/library-freedom-project/
  1. WHAT ARE THE LIBRARY FREEDOM PROJECT AND ABOLITIONIST LIBRARY ASSOCIATION?
    Leaders in the field such as Alison Macrina, founder of The Library Freedom Project and the Abolitionist Library Association have begun advocating for patrons’ digital privacy and safety, championing libraries as both democratic institutions and safe spaces for communities everywhere. The story of these developments, however, has its roots in 2013.
The Connecticut Four
  1. Defenders of Patron Privacy
    When the FBI approached George Christian in 2005 with a national security letter (NSL) and lifetime gag order, the then–executive director of the Library Connection—a Connecticut library consortium—convened a meeting with the organization’s executive committee. The NSL would have forced them to turn over customer information without a judge’s order or a grand jury subpoena. They refused to comply and later came to be known as the Connecticut Four.

We'll spend some time discussing these readings as a part of today's presentations

Who? What?

Who?

Press Browne

Dealing with challenges to books in the collection - recent examples
Who? What?

What? Dealing with Challenges (or worse) to Works in the Collection

Readings for Press' topic and presentation

Read these items and plan to post a consideration about it.

Ridgeland is a city in Madison County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 24,047 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Jackson, Mississippi metropolitan area.

  1. Ridgeland Mayor Demands LGBTQ+ Book Purge, Threatens Library Funding, Nick Judin in Mississippi Free Press, 25 January 2022
    Ridgeland Mayor Gene McGee is withholding $110,000 of funding from the Madison County Library System allegedly on the basis of his personal religious beliefs, with library officials stating that he has demanded that the system initiate a purge of LGBTQ+ books before his office releases the money ... Harry Woodgate, author of the children’s book Grandad’s Camper, one of the titles that sparked the complaints against Ridgeland Library’s collection, told the Mississippi Free Press in a statement that the story’s intent was to represent the full spectrum of LGBTQ+ individuals, especially queer elders, who are rarely depicted in fiction ... Woodgate added that LGBTQ+ censorship was a familiar, persistent ignorance, and commended the activists and board members who resisted it. “It is saddening that we’re still seeing LGBTQ+ titles featured on banned book lists, and I think this not only represents the extent to which such prejudices remain underexamined and underchallenged by so many of our institutions and elected officials, but also a fundamental misunderstanding of children and children’s literature,” they wrote.
Wake County Public Library senior collections manager's LinkedIn profile
  1. “I KNOW IT WHEN I SEE IT”: WHO PULLED GENDER QUEER FROM WAKE COUNTY LIBRARY SHELVES?, Kelly Jensen in Book Riot, 20 December 2021
    ... the decision to pull Gender Queer happened on the call of (Senior Collections manager, Theresa) Lynch, who deemed the book pornographic. This decision came from Lynch’s evaluation of the title, rather than a committee nor with any input or insight from the library’s board of directors ... Whether or not there are a number of LGBTQ-themed books, the decision made to pull Gender Queer on “feelings,” as opposed to any actual criteria goes against all standards and ethics in public librarianship. More, it goes against the library’s own collection development policies, ... the vague wording of the decision to pull the book only leads to further questions about the system’s faulty process and lack of transparency when it comes to decision making.

There's been a recent development that might be interesting. You don't necessarily need to write a forum posting about it, but it might come up in conversation.

Process to file book complaints changing at Wake County Public Libraries


We'll spend some time discussing these readings as a part of today's presentations

Who? What?
last week's seminar next week's seminar